Imphal, Oct 18 : Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh
on Wednesday said that Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had
sought his assistance to put to an end to six-decade-long Naga
separatist movement, but he did not know if he could help.

“The Centre has sought our (Manipur government) cooperation in
solving the Naga issue. But I am not in a position to oblige, since the
exact points of agreement between the NSCN-IM and the Indian government
is not known to us,” Ibobi told journalists.

Manipur, Chief Minister, Okram Ibobi Singh. Image courtesy PIB

The NSCN-IM has been fighting for an independent Nagaland for over six decades.
It however later demanded a Greater Nagaland by slicing off parts of three neighbouring states to unite 1.2 million Nagas.

The demand is opposed by Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh.

New Delhi and the NSCN-IM entered into a ceasefire in August 1997.

The two have held more than 50 rounds of peace talks to end one of
South Asia’s longest-running insurgencies that has killed 25,000 people
since 1947.

“The Manipur government too wishes that the Centre and NSCN-IM come
to an amicable solution and wind up the peace talks,” Ibobi said.

The Manipur chief minister said that it was also too early for the
Manipur government to comment on the Naga peace process as the points of
agreement between the Centre and Naga separatist outfit have not been
disclosed.

On Tuesday, Nagaland Home Minister Imkong Imchen exuded confidence
that there could be an early settlement to the six-decade Nagaland
conflict.

“We hope for an early settlement, especially since Home Minister
Sushil Kumar Shinde showed keen interest in resolving the Naga issue,”
said Imchen.

The comments followed a published report that the NSCN-IM had decided
to accept the Indian constitution and drop the demand for a Greater
Nagaland.

New Delhi’s main interlocutor RS Pandey, a former petroleum and
natural gas secretary, did not comment on the news report but maintained
that the peace process remained on track.

“The peace process is on the right direction. I have held several
meetings with them (NSCN-IM) but at the moment things are yet to
concretise,” said Pandey.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio led a 19-member delegation of
legislators, including opposition leader Tokheho Yepthomi, to meet
Shinde and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj in Delhi to apparently
thrash out the final contours of a peace settlement with Naga
insurgents.

Rio, Imchen, Congress leader Tokheho Yepthomi and MPs Khekiho Zhimomi
and CM Chang were among the 20 in the Joint Legislators Forum (JLF) who
also met NSCN-IM chairman Isak Swu and general secretary Muivah.

The JLF is scheduled to meet LK Advani on Wednesday in the national
capital to seek support for an early solution to the Naga imbroglio.

During earlier talks, the NSCN-IM had proposed “a special federal
arrangement” to enable the Nagas self-governance, but the negotiations
ended inconclusively.

The NSCN-IM wants a special federal relationship with India, with a
separate Naga constitution, and would like the guerrillas to jointly
guard the international borders alongside Indian security forces.